Firearms related violence has taken its toll on American children: every day 13 children under age 19 are killed by gunfire and scores more are injured. Since 1980, there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of children killed by firearms, as well as in the number of increasingly younger and better-armed juvenile offenders. From 1985 to 1990, the number of teenagers murdered by firearms has doubled; at the same time the number of 15-year-old males charged with murder has increased by 217%. This report presents not only the statistical documentation of the toll gun violence takes on young people, but highlights the human side of the story as well. Four areas are considered: firearm homicide and youth; youth and firearm suicide; firearms and unintentional deaths; and gun violence in schools. The easy accessibility of firearms is a major problem. The availability of firearms has made firearm injuries the second leading cause of death behind motor vehicle accidents among youth ages 10 to 19. Among the recommendations that would help alleviate gun violence among children and adolescents were: removing handguns from homes with children, getting students involved in the cause of handgun violence, and mounting a massive public education program detailing the dangers of firearms. (NB)